Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Policy

Effective Date: 12.06.2006
Last Updated: 01.12.2024

M.C.E. Society Publications, under the aegis of Abeda Inamdar Senior College of Arts, Science, and Commerce, is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. To ensure the originality and ethical quality of all submissions, we implement rigorous plagiarism detection practices, including the use of Turnitin software for manuscript screening.

This policy outlines the standards for detecting and addressing plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct in articles submitted to and published by M.C.E. Society Publications.

1. Scope of the Policy

This policy applies to:

  • All manuscripts submitted to journals hosted by M.C.E. Society Publications.
  • Published articles where allegations of academic misconduct arise post-publication.

Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, duplicate submissions, data fabrication, improper authorship, and unethical research practices.

2. Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another’s work, ideas, or data as one’s own without proper acknowledgment. This includes:

  1. Direct Plagiarism: Verbatim copying without citation.
  2. Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rewording someone else's ideas without attribution.
  3. Self-Plagiarism: Reuse of the author’s previously published work without appropriate citation.
  4. Mosaic Plagiarism: Patching together phrases from different sources without proper citation.

3. Turnitin Plagiarism Detection

All submitted manuscripts are screened using Turnitin software prior to peer review to ensure compliance with originality standards.

Plagiarism Threshold:

  • A similarity index of less than 15% is considered acceptable, excluding references, quotes, and commonly used phrases.
  • Submissions exceeding the acceptable threshold will be flagged for further review.

Reporting and Feedback:

  • Authors will receive a plagiarism report if their manuscript is flagged, with clear guidance on necessary revisions.

4. Author Responsibilities

Authors are expected to:

  1. Submit only original work that has not been published elsewhere or is under consideration by another journal.
  2. Appropriately cite all sources, including ideas, data, or figures from prior research.
  3. Avoid using previously published material without proper acknowledgment, even if they are the original authors (self-plagiarism).
  4. Retain all research data for verification if required during the review process.

5. Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities

Reviewers:

  1. Reviewers are encouraged to flag suspected plagiarism and report it to the editor.
  2. They must maintain confidentiality and avoid sharing reports or flagged content outside the review process.

Editors:

  1. Editors are responsible for reviewing flagged manuscripts and making final decisions regarding potential plagiarism.
  2. They may request clarifications from authors or recommend resubmissions after appropriate revisions.

6. Handling Allegations of Plagiarism

Pre-Publication:

  • If plagiarism is detected during the initial screening or peer review process:
    1. The manuscript will be returned to the author for revision.
    2. In cases of significant plagiarism, the manuscript will be rejected outright.
    3. A warning may be issued to authors, and repeat offenders may face temporary bans from submitting.

Post-Publication:

  • If plagiarism is discovered after an article has been published:
    1. A formal investigation will be conducted by the editorial board.
    2. If confirmed, the article will be retracted, and a retraction notice will be published on the journal's website.
    3. Institutions affiliated with the authors may be notified.

7. Addressing Other Forms of Academic Misconduct

  1. Duplicate Submission: Manuscripts submitted to multiple journals simultaneously will be rejected, and authors may be blacklisted.
  2. Data Fabrication or Falsification: Authors found to have manipulated or fabricated data will face immediate rejection or retraction of their article.
  3. Improper Authorship: Authorship disputes, including ghostwriting or guest authorship, must be resolved before submission. Failure to do so will result in rejection.

8. Consequences of Academic Misconduct

Authors found guilty of academic misconduct may face the following consequences:

  1. Immediate rejection or retraction of the manuscript.
  2. Bans from future submissions for a defined period.
  3. Notification of the misconduct to the authors' affiliated institutions or funding bodies.
  4. Legal action in severe cases involving copyright infringement or ethical violations.

9. Educational Support for Authors

M.C.E. Society Publications is committed to supporting ethical publishing practices by:

  1. Providing authors with resources and guidelines on proper citation practices.
  2. Offering access to plagiarism detection tools like Turnitin for pre-submission checks.
  3. Conducting webinars and workshops on research integrity and academic writing.

10. Policy Updates

This policy will be reviewed periodically to reflect advancements in plagiarism detection technology and ethical standards in academic publishing. Updates will be communicated on the official journal website.

11. Contact Us

For questions or concerns related to plagiarism or academic misconduct, please contact:

M.C.E. Society Publications
Abeda Inamdar Senior College of Arts, Science, and Commerce
Azam Campus, Camp, Pune, Maharashtra, India – 411001
Email: journal@mcesocietypublication.com
Phone: +91 00000 00000